My
greetings to you all. I thank the Members of Parliament and State
Legislatures for electing me to this high office. I am overwhelmed
by the affection and regard shown to me by so many people across
the length and breadth of the country during the past few weeks. I
stand here today as the Republic’s first servant, humbled by
this experience.

It will be my sincere endeavour to live up to the high
expectations of all those who have chosen to elect me, and to
serve the best interests of the people of India. I am fully aware
of the great responsibility that has been placed on my humble
shoulders.

This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the First War of
Indian Independence. As I stand before you, I draw inspiration
from the courage and sacrifice of all those who led our nation to
freedom. One of the unique features of our national movement, of
our freedom struggle, was the equal participation of men and
women. Among the many who led that battle against foreign rule
were brave women like Rani Lakshmibai, Begum Hazrat Mahal and
Kitturu Rani Chennamma.

In a few days time we will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of
our independence. I would like to remember with gratitude the
great contribution to our freedom struggle made by leaders like
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad and Sarojini
Naidu, who fought under the unique and path-breaking leadership of
the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Therefore, I share the
sense of pride of every Indian that the United Nations General
Assembly has declared Gandhi Jayanti, the 2nd of October, as the
International Day of Non-violence. We express our gratitude to the
world community for this unique honour.

Ours is an ancient civilization but a young nation. We look back
with pride to the tremendous achievements made during the 60 years
of our independence in all spheres of life. More than anything
else we have demonstrated to the world that a developing country
of over a billion people, each aspiring for a better quality of
life, can live harmoniously and move forward within the framework
of a secular democracy.

As President I assure the people of India that in upholding the
Constitution I will always be inspired by the stirring message of
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar who, in his closing speech to the
Constituent Assembly, emphasized the need to hold fast to the
constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic
objectives. Sixty years ago, speaking in these very premises,
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had said, and I quote, “Freedom and
power bring responsibility.” He reminded us that this great
responsibility, I quote “rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign
body representing the sovereign people of India.” Indira Gandhi
as India’s first and only woman Prime Minister, showed us that
the upliftment of the underprivileged and alleviation of poverty
must remain the foremost and sacred duty of those who hold public
office.

Today India stands at the threshold of a new era of progress. The
nation is moving at historically unprecedented rates of growth. It
should be our combined endeavour to sustain this growth and ensure
that it is socially inclusive. We must ensure that every section
of our society – particularly the weak and the disadvantaged -
are equal partners in, and beneficiaries of, the development
process. We must also ensure that every region of the country
participates in and benefits from the process of economic growth.

I am reminded of the words of the great seventeenth century,
Marathi poet-saint, Sant Tukaram, who said:

"One who befriends the poor and the oppressed, Recognise
him to be a Saint, for God is with him"

Today, I commit myself to work for the well-being of all our
citizens.

To
realize the full potential of our people, we must invest in their
capabilities and empower them with modern education and
comprehensive health care. We must banish malnutrition, social
evils infant mortality and female foeticide. I wish to express my
full commitment to the protection of child rights. We must wage a
relentless campaign against poverty, ignorance and disease to seek
a better future for our children. We must show wisdom and
foresight in protecting our planet and our environment, for the
good of all living species and future generations.

I am deeply committed to the cause of education and would like to
see every person, man and woman, boy and girl, be touched by the
light of modern education. Empowerment of women is particularly
important to me as I believe this leads to the empowerment of the
nation.

We must ensure that science and technology serve our needs better,
and help us develop a scientific temper that will unleash the full
potential of our people, of our farmers, our workers, our
professionals and our entrepreneurs.

The people of our country desire better governance, faster
development and a life of peace and security. We must all stand
united in the fight against such divisive and destructive
tendencies as communalism, casteism, extremism and terrorism.

The world has come to regard the success of social and economic
development in India within the framework of a democracy as a
symbol of hope for all humanity. As I think of the future of our
great nation, and our duties and responsibilities in taking it
forward, I am reminded of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s
invocation about India awakening into that heaven of freedom where
the mind is without fear and the head is held high. Let us all
rededicate ourselves once again to our Constitutional ideals and
work unitedly to build such an India.

Jai Hind!

[The
address was delivered in the Central Hall of Parliament on 25th July 2007.]